Turns Me to Gold in the Moonlight
by DenizenofTwilight
Summary: For a reason Naminé can't understand, Roxas decides to stay with her after the Keyblade War, and though Naminé likes him well enough… she can't understand why he's painting her room black. Why didn't he just stay with Xion, if she was what he wanted? As Naminé begins to learn to love again, she realizes the thing that's really holding her back are her own insecurities. RokuNami.


**Author's Note: Don't freak about the dragon part. It's not a real dragon, and since in my head-canon, Roxas and Nami have learned some magic from Merlin… just pretend its similar to the birds Hermione made in The Half-Blood Prince. **

**The reason I have the "dragon" in here briefly is because I once asked Christina (who this fic's dedicated to), to draw a pic of Naminé with dragons, and thus I saw it appropriate to have it in this story for her.**

**Also, this story will make sense eventually, I promise you. And the italic part is a flashback.**

**Enjoy my first RokuNami fic, all.**

**-Shanna**

**Turns Me to Gold in the Moonlight**

"Naminé, I dunno about you, but I would paint this entire room black, if it was up to me." To demonstrate such a flippant comment, Roxas wasted no time in dipping his quill in a spare inkwell, and began darkening the white witch's room little by little.

Though the former Nobody was fairly certain that Roxas didn't mean anything by his unintentional slight to her coloring, there was no denying… there was no denying there had once been a girl of raven hair in Roxas' life; a girl who had lived amongst similar black streets in The World That Never Was _alongside_ Roxas.

And sure it was nothing to alter her walls today, but tomorrow would it be her that Roxas meant to change? Naminé wasn't at all sure of the answer, and that worried her even more than Xehanort once had.

As worries plagued at her heart—and had her reaching her hand out towards Roxas almost ghost-like—it took Naminé a second to get her wits about her. Soon enough, though, she was able to keep her qualms to herself, but secretly… she wished there was someone she could share her worry and fears with. If one deemed to look at her closely enough, Naminé was sure they'd easily make out what was going on behind her eyes and heart, but Roxas had never been the most observant of companions, and so it went unnoticed by him.

"Roxas, this dragon is quite lovely, don't you think?" the small blond girl asked discreetly, as she meant to show Roxas her most recent magic, but also get the black paint far away from him. (In truth, Naminé of course knew that Roxas' intentions weren't bad, but they might as well have been. If he meant to change her for no good reason… then didn't that make him more deplorable than some of the other fiends in her nightmares?)

In the end, Naminé's plot worked to a certain extent. She was able to procure the utensils out of Roxas' hands easily enough, but when she went to give her twin Nobody the small beast in her arms, Syro roared, indignant, and slammed into the white wall Naminé had meant to protect. As it did, it was almost too much for the blond girl to handle.

Even as hard as she'd tried to fight it, her wall was turning blacker still. Syro had black wings, after all. And her white walls did show everything… Almost wishing that the white would take over her eyes—so she couldn't see how easily she was erased from people's lives—Naminé ran out of the room sobbing and sobbing and sobbing.

…

"Sora, you're my friend. And I appreciate you, truly. But please don't say such things when I know you mean to leave with Riku and Kairi, when the time comes."

They had survived the battle with Xehanort. In some magical way, the Lights had tricked the fiend into an out they'd thought impossible; now all the years of pain, fear, and uncertainty that the trios had suffered had come to an end.

In most ways, at least. Though Naminé would admit she'd never been exactly crazy about DiZ… even she had to admit she was disheartened at his fate. His eyes hadn't been golden enough to allow him to become a vessel, it seemed, but they had been amber enough to mean the Darkness had affected him more than anyone had known.

Really, Naminé had to admit she probably should have known what would happen. He had attacked her before the Seven vs. Thirteen battle, after all (and it was this that had Sora so flustered at the moment). And though Naminé herself had turned a blind-eye to the fact at the time, she knew what would have to be done now. The multiverse might have been safe from Xehanort's clutches now, but not via the name people had originally feared: Ansem.

"_But Naminé_,_" Sora growled incredulously, in such a way that instantly had the girl backing up (as she remembered with perfect clarity Sora's lapses of control in Castle Oblivion). "Ansem attacked you even before just now! He threw you into a wall and stabbed you! How can I just forgive all of that? Especially now?" _

'Because even though you cry for my expense right now… when you cry later, it'll be Kairi's arms you turn to, not mine', _Naminé thought, but dared not say. However, if the way Sora was clenching his fists so tightly was any indication, ferreted out Naminé's unspoken words for himself. As Sora continued to stare at her disbelievingly, Naminé understood what he had to be thinking. That he was a hero, and that as long as there was someone wreaking havoc somewhere, he'd fight for the greater good, but- but…_

"_Sora, look. We just won a fight against Xehanort. We can _all _worry about this later, okay? Naminé's not alone in this." _

_Gasping slightly despite herself, as she turned around to face him, Naminé had to admit that there was something disconcerting about Roxas' appearance in the Keyblade Graveyard. Perhaps it was because his hair matched the color of the terrain so well (or even worse, that his hair was the color of Xehanort's eyes)? _

_And though Naminé was indeed happy for Roxas' backup on the issue… she found she could not consent to his words, or have him anywhere near her. For even though Naminé strived not to look into memories after what she'd done with Sora, she could see her own thoughts on him clearly; and Naminé understood how spontaneous and reckless Roxas could be, and-_

'And worst of all'_, Naminé thought, as she laced her hands together atop her knees. '_His words are a lie_. _I_ am _alone. I once sought solace in Roxas' loneliness and need for camaraderie, but even he left me. I am a reluctant loaner and always will be. And yet…'

"Thank you, Roxas," Naminé said courteously enough, as she found the chairs King Mickey had erected in the Keyblade Graveyard, after their victory with Xehanort, and sat down in one.

Due to a strange bout of rebellion she'd obtained from the events of Castle Oblivion, Naminé never stood unless she had to anymore. Such an idea, she knew, came from the fact a lot of the rooms and halls in Castle Oblivion had no rest areas, and thus she had always had to stand (especially while she'd watched over Sora).

But going even further than that, Naminé suspected she just didn't want to give people respect who didn't deserve it anymore. Though her words were as kind as usual, and she used her mannerisms as a suit of armor, Naminé knew she could no longer allow herself to be moved by the promises of those who meant to break them. She just couldn't. If people wanted her to stand up and aid them, they'd have to earn her trust first. And maybe in that… maybe she was growing and becoming human, after all, wasn't she?

"_Naminé," Roxas said, sounding surprisingly as dazed as she was feeling, "would ya mind if I sat down and talked to you a bit?" _

_Well, if there was something to be said about Roxas, it was that he brought peace offerings, at least. Picking up the can of ice-tea he was dangling in front of her face, Naminé had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, and that maybe, just maybe… Roxas had reached a similar epiphany to the one she had. After all, Naminé could recall from his own memories, that Roxas had spent much of his time on the Station Tower in Twilight Town. _

_Thinking of Roxas, Axel, and Xion (another trio Naminé wished she could be part of, but knew she never would), Naminé thought that maybe the group had done a bit _too _much of sitting. There had certainly been times when all three of them shouldn't have been together (when they hadn't recovered from their quarrels), and in that mind, there were probably times they should have been doing much else. Like embracing, perhaps, and forgiving each other for all their faults-_

_And realizing all of those things easily enough, Naminé thought it probably wouldn't fit if she made those mistakes herself. So nodding at Roxas in a silent bit of communication, she invited him to join her on what looked like… a lawn couch? Naminé wasn't sure if she had the name exactly right, but the object definitely seemed to have Donald's magical signature, at least-_

"_Thanks a bunch, Naminé. I really appreciate it,"_ _the blond's "twin" said, as he dusted off all of the dust and debris that had gotten on him during the battle. And spying at Roxas' collar, perhaps a little too closely, she would admit,_ _Naminé thought she saw some of Vanitas' strange helmet glinting on Roxas' shoulder, as well. _

_Though the whole War was a bit of a blur to Naminé (and she was trying very, very hard to pretend the entire thing had been a nightmare), she did seem to remember Vanitas continuously attacking Roxas. Whether the vessel had mistaken Roxas for Ventus, or maybe thought Roxas a clone of Ven's, Naminé had no idea. But Vanitas had certainly been after Roxas' blood for whatever reason… _

_And it was for that thought, and recalling what the people around her had had to endure during the fight, that Naminé found herself feeling incredibly guilty. Who was she to not give them their due respect? Heck, who was she to steal one of their seats? Just because she was less of a pushover now, didn't give her the right to be unaccommodating. And if anyone had the right to relax and pretend the War hadn't happened, it was the people before her. Certainly not herself. Sure she had helped in gathering everyone together, but she hadn't lifted a finger to fight. She hadn't-_

"Oh, jeez, Naminé. Please don't be going all guilty on me now. You deserve to kick back, too, okay? Even when you're being our spiritual guide, you're standing for us when we can't, so-"

Though Naminé tried to make certain her face betrayed no emotion at Roxas' words (something she'd, sadly, been forced to learn because of Organization XIII), she did find herself gripping her arm tightly, as she mulled over her thoughts. How was it that Roxas seemed to remember the time he'd "seen" her before passing out in Agrabah? And though it made more sense that he'd recall when he, Sora, and herself had connected in a dream (as it had happened much more recently than their Agrabah encounter), Naminé wasn't sure he even should have known of that event. She'd thought he would have written the whole thing off as a dream, but apparently he hadn't?

Even stranger, he seemed to remember that she'd been "standing for them, when they hadn't been for themselves"? That was so much more thought than Naminé had dared hope that Roxas would give her, but even that was poisonous. Too soon, Naminé knew that the boy would be leaving her for his Axel and Xion.

Even though… even though the last memory he'd spoken of had been during his time in the virtual Twilight Town (the personality Naminé had hypothesized that Roxas would like, if things had been different…), Naminé knew that wouldn't be the version of himself he chose to be in the end. Even if he had remembered her in a time and way she hadn't even thought to herself.

"_Roxas, do you mind telling me what you want, please? I don't want to stay here, you see. Other people deserve this lodging more than I do, and quite frankly… you're making me a bit nervous by seeming to read my mind." Huh. Had that been a joke? She had… never done that before, had she? Most peculiar. _

_Nervously, Naminé wondered how Roxas would respond to her mention of possible telepathy. If the way the sky was painted red were any indication, she thought she knew his answer_. 'Once again, my poor excuse for a heart will bleed from my traitorous feelings… if only I was stronger.'

"Well, this sky's pretty interesting, I think. It's a good place to sit and realize we actually won this War. To realize that hopefully this place'll never be used for evil again. And to wonder… which version of the sunset I prefer."

'What an interesting way to think of the sky. Hopefully it will be the only "blood" we see again, if_-'_ _That had been the start of_ _Naminé's thought, but only to have it crash and burn when she realized just what he was hinting at. He couldn't be- could he? It was too much to hope for. And yet, Naminé suddenly found herself wishing for it more than she ever had anything in her entire life._

"Roxas, what are you-" Naminé began, as she folded her hands nervously, and had the misfortune of having sweat run down her palms. Eying the droplets of perspiration sadly, Naminé recalled how when she'd rewritten Sora's memory, she'd made him believe her white dress had always been in upstanding conditions, even in moments when it was blistering hot (moments like now, actually). However, that idea had been such a farce, that Naminé was surprised it hadn't revealed her as a liar earlier than it did.

But since she had nothing to hide at the moment, she wondered if maybe her nervousness was somehow painting Roxas as the liar.

To that end, the white witch was almost certain that Roxas' words of, "I need to rethink some things, and find out who I really am," had to be him making mockery of her.

And yet… Naminé somehow believed him, anyway.

…

Roxas hadn't come looking for Naminé like she'd hoped he would. As she sat down in the broken down front-room of the Haunted Mansion, she'd been able to hear exactly when he had descended the steps looking for her, but… with being able to hear the floorboards so keenly, came benefits as well as curses. And it was certainly a curse when Naminé heard Roxas retreat back upstairs, and forgo approaching her the way he'd seemed about to.

Idly, as she drew at shapes and patterns she couldn't even guess at (her mood was too dark for her to really draw what she wanted to at the moment), Naminé wondered if Roxas would be moving out soon. Really, why he'd come to live with her after their resurrection was as much a mystery to her as it was to Axel and Xion. But looking back on it, Nami did seem to recall that Roxas and Xion had shared a particular look at his choice (a look that Naminé couldn't begin to understand). So whatever Roxas' intentions had been with her, Xion had definitely seemed to be in on it.

Though truly, Naminé supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. Perhaps it was the lack of light in the room that was turning her thoughts so untrustworthy, but Naminé was almost certain there was something she wasn't being told. And… the truth was, Naminé had known from the get-go that Roxas and the Replica's fates were linked tightly, so it really shouldn't have mattered to her to think on such a thing now, but-

"Oh, just a minute!" Naminé exclaimed, as she heard a sudden knock on the door right in front of her. Standing up and pulling her dress down (that Kairi had decided to spray paint the bottom of pink for some strange reason), Naminé began lithely walking towards the massive door before her (ducking around a few debris here and there), and before she knew it, was facing a very mystified Ventus, who… seemed to be ignoring her completely, and walking right into the room with her?

Looking at Ventus curiously, and almost wondering if it was actually Roxas playing a trick on her (but of course Naminé knew it wasn't, due to the buzz of memories circling around in Ventus' head), Naminé tapped Ven on the shoulder lightly and politely, and it was then that she got the reaction she'd been looking for.

Seeming to wake up from a trance, the blond boy gasped loudly, before tripping over his feet and falling over completely. Laughing slightly despite herself, Naminé extended her hand towards Ventus, and helped him to his feet as best as she could. "It's moments like this that I remember you're more like Sora than Roxas, Mr. Ventus. But now that you seem to be more 'awake', is there something I can help you with?"

For a moment, Ventus seemed to gape at Naminé (perhaps wondering how she knew that he _was_ Ven), but his lack of grace didn't last long. Laughing himself, Ventus scratched his head a little self-consciously, before talking to Naminé sheepishly, "Sorry about that. This place just seems to put ya in a trance. But I bet you know that better than anyone, right Miss Nami? You did live here for a time."

'_Yes, and I remember all of the people who were led to their fates here, as well'_, Naminé thought sadly, only just realizing how the way she'd helped Ventus up… was very similar to how Roxas once had Xion. Somehow, it all always seemed to go back to those two, didn't it? Perhaps Naminé had been a fool to think that she and Roxas could-

"Oh, Ventus." To anyone else but Naminé, the inclusion of Roxas' voice in the conversation would have been as confusing as it was disorienting. For not only did Roxas and Ventus share an appearance, but they had the same voice, as well. And even though Naminé had only known Ven a short time, she'd come to distinguish the different emotions and lilts that the two boys' voices had. So when Roxas did, in fact, join the conversation (standing right behind her), Naminé didn't feel lost at all.

Well, in that manner of speaking, anyway. In truth, Naminé found she did feel a bit heartbroken that Roxas hadn't come down to apologize to her, but _had_ come to entertain Ventus. She didn't let any of this show, though. And instead listened intently to what Ventus said, (after he and Roxas gave each other a weird look before shaking hands, of course).

"Unfortunately, it seems there's been action on Ansem's part in the area. The King thinks that maybe DiZ is coming to look for his research here. To that end, Mickey wanted us all to meet her, and-"

"That seems fair," Naminé muttered before Ven could ask her and Roxas if it was okay to just barge in on their home. "Just let me clean up the area in the adjoining room first. I'm afraid Roxas nor I have been in there since we moved in, so it is a bit of a mess."

Walking into the said room with its broken table and uncomfortable armchair, Naminé was quick to whip up one of the spells she'd learned from Merlin, and in no time at all had the room in proper order again.

Sitting down between Roxas and Ventus, as they waited for the others to join them, Naminé found she kept hiding behind her hair, as she submitted to the emotions that raged on within her. It was just… it was just she didn't like sitting in this room upon knowing Ansem had ordered Riku to kill her in it. Of course, Riku hadn't gone through with the orders, and had let her and Axel go, but knowing just what had fallen DiZ now… made the entire thing just a bit more disconcerting.

Even before the Darkness had completely taken him over, Naminé had had to wonder if messing with Sora's memories had really had been enough for him to order her elimination. She had- she had thought that DiZ had come to care for her somewhat, but she'd been wrong. And when he actually had managed it… it was simply too late now.

"Naminé, I don't understand why you just don't mess with his memories and cripple him that way," Roxas said, almost seeming to be on the same wavelength as Naminé. Sparing him a small smile, as she knew he'd undergone horrors in this Mansion, too, Naminé meant to explain just why she'd resolved to never mess with memories again. But knowing that Ventus carried some of Sora and Roxas' memories himself now, the blond girl thought better of it. Their war with memories hadn't been Ven's at all. And having been treated a bystander herself once, Naminé knew just how awful it could be, and thus wouldn't pull Ven into it all now.

And suddenly recalling that she and the two boys with her had accounted unspeakable horrors in the wake of Xehanort… Naminé found herself latching onto both boys' hands, and praying that they understood. And she prayed that when the others joined them, things wouldn't end up like Naminé was beginning to fear they might.

…

"Here's my question. Why don't I just open a Corridor of Darkness where he is, and chuck my chakrams at him and be done with it? I think it's only right that this awesome redhead kills that jerk."

Having pretty much fallen asleep despite herself—as the current party debated back and forth about what to do about everything—it was more work than Naminé had thought it would, to lift her head up and smile at Lea. Though she knew he was mainly trying to be the comic relief and perk everyone up again, she was also aware of just how Axel had suffered through Ansem. In the former ruler of Radiant Garden's mind, nothing had mattered more than his revenge, and that idea had led to him trying to kill Roxas, Axel, Xion, and… herself.

Pointing a finger to her temple to show Lea she "had it memorized", Naminé suddenly found herself feeling better about everything. Back then on Sunset Hill… she hadn't been as alone as she'd thought. She'd had Roxas, Axel, and Riku in her circle of friends, and though they'd been a group of anomalies that hadn't really belonged together, they'd banded together nevertheless to do what was right.

And with the power of such a memory, it was almost enough to make Naminé wake up, and try to stretch her wings towards Ven, Terra, Aqua, Kairi, and Xion, too. Almost, anyway… she was just so tired…

"Guys, this has been real and all, but I'm afraid Naminé's a dead girl walking… err, sleeping. Do you mind if we talk more tomorrow?"

Huh? What was this? There were hands gripping beneath Naminé's underarms, and now she was being lifted up and out of her chair? Groaning slightly, for the mysterious person's grip was a little too tight, Naminé was about to relay that she was just fine, and that everything needed to be figured out as soon as possible, but before she could get a single word out (or in this case, yawn), someone was already beating Naminé to the punch.

"Of course, Roxas! That's more than all right, pal. Gosh, I feel bad for keepin' y'all up like this. And that you're staying here when Ansem might come back any minute, but-"

"It's fine, your majesty. Really," Naminé tried to get out loud enough for everyone to hear, but just succeeded in slurring her words together sleepily. Reaching for the mouse King to try and convey her message that way, Naminé meant to kiss her friend's cheek, but found instead that she'd pecked him on the nose. Blushing madly for everyone's laughter at her, Naminé ducked her face into Roxas' shirt in embarrassment, and was quick to hit him in the chest when she found him laughing, too. Then, with everyone else still laughing, at her—and Naminé too exhausted to even care anymore—the two headed outside.

It was just when Naminé was losing the battle with her eyelids (and wondering just why Roxas had opted to take her outdoors), that number XIII said the words that would inevitably change their lives together forever.

"Naminé, you know that I wasn't 'painting' your room black to spite you, right? It's just… we've had so many bad memories in this place; I thought you'd want to spite this Mansion. If it's- if it's too much of a change, we can turn back the little I did, but I don't know. I like seeing white stars in the darkness. What about you?"

"Roxas, I-" Was Roxas really talking to her like this when she was barely coherent? It was downright despicable to Naminé that he would do such a thing at the current time. More accurately: it was absolutely wonderful!

"Roxas, I must apologize for thinking the worst of you. There's still so much I must learn, I'm afraid, and I-." Though Naminé was trying her best to reciprocate to Roxas the words he more than deserved, she was afraid she was terribly falling short.

It was almost funny, in a completely, non-funny way that when she meant to tell someone about battle plans or something, she was completely articulate. But when it came to matters of the heart (something she'd longed for from her first lonely days in Castle Oblivion), Naminé found she was as lost as Roxas and Xion had been upon their induction to the Organization. So there was that similarity between her and Roxas, at least. And that was a good thing. If they were to have some sort of relationship together, like Roxas was hinting at, they needed to at least find some common ground, didn't they?

"Roxas, hey! What are you doing?!" Naminé begun casually enough, but only for her words to cascade into a shrill screech when Roxas tossed her into the air, and moved from carrying her in his arms to carry her on his back. And really, such a thing wasn't scary at all, Naminé admitted to herself. But that was until he used a spell to turn his Keyblade into a dragon-like Glider, and flew off with Naminé into the night.

As Roxas whooped and hollered, and grabbed onto Naminé's legs, so she wouldn't fall off from behind him, she considered the fact that maybe she was dreaming. It was a very likely possibility, she knew. Roxas _had _just said something she'd only dreamed of before, after all. And if that wasn't enough to convince Naminé she was dreaming, surely things like the wind and twigs barely living an indent on her—or the fact she could still hear Roxas' voice so clearly—were hints, yes?

"Naminé, don't be so doubtful of yourself and your abilities. I think you and I could both learn to have a bit more fun. And I'm gonna help you now!" Roxas shouted, just as the moon came out from behind the clouds to bathe them in its incandescent light.

Smiling widely then, despite herself—and recalling what Roxas had said to her just a moment ago about the stars and the night—Naminé found that she was, in fact, loosening up.

And perhaps on this night, if never again, Naminé could afford to have some fun, right? As the moon grew closer and closer to them, as they flew higher and higher, Naminé knew just what she wanted to do. So tugging on Roxas' hair, and pointing up at the shining orb above them, Naminé forgot all of her wits for the moment, and simply enjoyed the thrill of riding with Roxas up and up and up into the sky.

And in the end, though they didn't actually reach the yellowing moon, they did end up falling through a cloud. And though Naminé was completely drenched, cold, and her dress was hanging to her too tightly from the endeavor, the white witch found she couldn't have cared less.

Instead, she looked at the moon with her own smile flashing white, and found she felt simply golden. And at that, Naminé had to wonder if the current feeling coursing through her had been Roxas' intent all along. He really hadn't been trying to change her into Xion, had he? His intentions had been nothing but noble as he'd tried to help her, and-

"Roxas, I- Ahh! Whoa. Hey!" Naminé exclaimed surprised, when Roxas seemed to lose control of his Glider, and they careened towards the trees in front of them at break-neck speed. Fortunately, for both of them, Roxas had seemed to learn some tree-surfing from Sora. And though the two got a few scratches here and there during their fall, they were perfectly fine in the end.

Well... things might have been a little bad for Roxas, when his Keyblade bonked him on the head, as it fell down. But since Naminé was still feeling perfectly fine herself, she was able to reassure Roxas—via a kiss to his cheek—that his plan to help her had succeeded one-hundred percent. Even more than he knew... or was likely to ever know, even-

"You see, Naminé? You really shouldn't doubt yourself so much. I mean, your grace just then was representative of that of a Keyblade wielder," Roxas said kindly and earnestly, as he looked at Nami with deep blue eyes (made even darker by the night), and cupped her face gently (a gesture Naminé was only too keen to lean into). "And since you've always thought your fellow Keyblade wielders were destined for great things- Don't you think the same thing about yourself after all of that? Can't you see what you're destined to have, and what you're worth?"

When Roxas suddenly put the said Keyblade between Naminé and himself (grinning lopsided and with his hair tousled all the while), Naminé found it was all she could do to breathe deeply; she understood exactly what Roxas was hinting at. In a last ditch effort to show Naminé she was the one he wanted to spend his life with, Roxas was reenacting a scene with her that he had originally had with his first love.

And as tears clouded Naminé's vision, she knew well that she was probably scaring Roxas, and not assuring him in the slightest, but never in all her life... had she thought anyone would have accepted her as the "second girl", and still choose her. And as the weight of it all suddenly fell down on Naminé shoulders, it became a chore just to simply stand up.

Falling to the grassy ground below her, and staining her dress even more thoroughly, Naminé pressed her hand to her mouth, against all of the words she could and should have been saying, and sobbed. Another lifetime ago, when she'd just been a scared, selfish, and lonely little girl, she had called out to Sora's heart in the vain hope she could make him love her. But even as she had done the Organization's bidding, Naminé had known the wrong she was doing so had, of course, freed Sora from herself in the end... And when she'd offered him the chance to keep his memories of her, or regain his ones of Kairi, Naminé had already known what he was going to say. It was only natural, after all.

And even with Roxas... though Naminé hadn't remembered Xion at the time, there had already been something between her and Roxas that Naminé had dared not try and bridge. It had been for that reason she'd only dreamed of meeting Roxas once, but they'd ended up becoming closer than she'd ever expected they would. But the moment Xion had come back into everyone's heart and memories, Naminé had known that it was her who Roxas' destiny lied with, and so she'd thought that was the end of everything…except Roxas hadn't gone to her.

And now- oh gosh, she couldn't even make sense of what was happening now. Instead, all Naminé could do was clutch onto Roxas like he was a life preserver when he tried to help her up, and practically strangle the life out of him as she came undone.

"Ro-Roxas, do yo-you real-l-y mean what you're sayi- I never dr-dre- that I- Oh, Roxas." Looking at Roxas curiously, as her tears began to ebb, Naminé could clearly make out the smell of magic marker, and what felt like the movement of felt on her head. With the mark he was bestowing on her head, Roxas would not only succeed in showing Nami that she wasn't dreaming, but show her that even for her mistakes… she deserved happiness as much as anyone else did. And maybe even more.

"I just made the 'equal to' sign on your head, Naminé. You seem to forget how much you mean to us. How much you mean to the multiverse. But Nami, you mean all that and more to me. I finally know who I am and where I belong, and it's all because of you. I love Axel and Xion, but I never wanted a life in the Organization. I wanted a normal one. And when I did have one, because of your _wonderful _magic, the best I ever felt even then—the most I ever felt truly alive—was when I was saving you from DiZ.

"And, Naminé. Since something like that might happen again soon, it doesn't take a genius for me to figure out I have to be with you. I love you, Naminé. And before something happens that might take you away from me again, just know that. Know that wherever I'm going, or whatever I'm doing, I'll always love you."

Pulling away from Roxas with much calmer, and white, tears dotting her vision now, things finally seemed to settle and align in Naminé's head. She'd known from the beginning that she'd had a special bond with Roxas, and almost felt traitor now for ever doubting such a bond.

But before her self-loathing could get too far, Roxas put an arm around Naminé's shoulder, and grounded her in a way she'd never truly known before. And that right there was her answer too, wasn't it? She was a stronger and better person with Roxas, and finding her perfect balance, Naminé still spoke calmly and happily, and for the first time didn't hide her true emotions. "I love you too, Roxas. Thank you for getting me to let go of my previously held notions. And thank you for meeting with me, and trying to get me to be with you again."

And if Roxas realized she was more or less quoting some of her earlier words to him, Naminé didn't know. She did know, however, that Roxas was her white knight, but _she_ would be the one to cherish and protect him forever.

And... before they kissed, Naminé knew that the moon painted the space between their lips as white. And even though their faces looked blackened when their lips touched, Naminé now understood things, and how everything would be okay in the end. When she and Roxas pulled away from each other again, Naminé smiled at the white shining moon behind them, and the stars all around them. Stars in the night sky, indeed. And she had her sweet Roxas to thank for teaching her to look for such a thing. And she'd have her sweet Roxas forever and ever, and for all of eternity, too.

_Fin._

**Author's Note: First of all: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRISTINA! You're such a great friend, and I love you to pieces. –hugs- I hope you have a truly special day. And I hope you like this fic, dearest. While it's not my first RokuNami story, it's the first one I've ever posted on fanfiction, so…**

**Also, I think I just unintentionally quoted "Twilight" and "Roswell" stuff in here. Oops. Something I "purposefully" quoted was the name of this fic, which is inspired by a line in "Rabbit Heart" by Florece and the Machine.**

**And if anyone was confused about the "spiritual guide" thing, I was talking about scenes like the last one in CoM, when Nami's helping Sora remember Kairi, etc.**

**Also… I actually plagiarized myself with this story. The idea of someone painting their room black with really tiny utensils (something that would take forever!), I wrote about in my one Ven fanfic… Hilarious, since Ven shows up in this story. Oh, VenAmi, how I love you… (Oh, and speaking of VenAmi, I think I quoted "White Knight", too. Go figure…)**

**But I like RokuNami a lot, too. I really, truly love this pairing again, which is nice. I think I still prefer RikuNami (and VenAmi!) and RokuShi, but I might write more Roxas/Nami someday.**

**Well, I've ranted enough. Bye, all! And happy b-day again, Christina! –hugs-**


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